Russell Morris

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Russell Morris (born July 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter, who had many Australian Number one singles throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

His most successful song was "The Real Thing", written by Johnny Young, produced by Ian Meldrum and engineered by John L. Sayers. The backing track was performed by members of Melbourne soul band The Groop, (which included Brian Cadd), plus Zoot guitarist Roger Hicks, and backing vocalists Ronnie Charles (The Groop), The Chiffons (including Maureen Elkner) and Marcie and The Cookies.

"The Real Thing" is now considered one of the very best psychedelic rock singles produced in Australia in the 1960s. And, at nearly seven minutes, it was also the longest pop single recorded in Australia at that time. It was the biggest selling Australian single of 1969, and was released when Morris was twenty years old. The song was released in two halves on a small label in the United States of America and received limited international success as a result, although it did reach #1 in large cities such as Chicago. More recently, "The Real Thing" has been used by the Seven Network in conjunction with coverage of the AFL, and featured in a tourist campaign promoting Western Australia. It has also been covered by Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue, which seems appropriate considering her links with Johnny Young (written by). Morris' music has also appeared on the soundtrack to The Dish, and has appeared on the ABC show Long Way to the Top. He currently tours Australia with fellow 1960s rockers Darryl Cotton and Jim Keays in the trio "Cotton, Keays and Morris".

[edit] References

• The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop - Ian McFarlane - Allen & Unwin, Sydney - 1999

• Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop - Rigby Publishers - 1978

• The Who's Who of Australian Rock - Chris Spencer - Moonlight Publishing - 1993

[edit] External links

• Russell Morris Official Web Site
• Mileasago website Russell Morris page]
• Cotton, Keays & Morris Web page]